With Grayson's sudden absence from her life, Mia tries her hardest to carry on as normal; to continue as though she had never met the man who turned her world upside down in only a short amount of time.
With the help of her best friend Hailey, and...
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MIA
I was kidding myself if I thought Hailey's idea of me coming home for a while wasn't a good one.
The sea breeze hits my skin quicker than I can appreciate as I hop off the train at the local train station. The scent of the water travels through my nostrils and clears my mind, the sun trying its best to squeeze through the cracks of the clouds.
Dad is here to welcome me—without fail. A beaming smile paints his calming face as he saunters towards me with those large, open arms of his.
"Hey honey," he groans as he squeezes me a little too tightly. "How was your journey?"
I smile. And it feels good to smile. "It was fine."
"Good. I've put a chicken in the oven so it'll be nice for us all to have a roast later."
A fuzzy, gooey feeling spreads through my veins. I love being home. I'd forgotten how much I love being home with everything that's gone on recently.
I was grateful to Michael for granting me some last minute time off and I told myself that missing three or four lectures won't be the end of the world. Besides, I'm ahead of the curriculum anyway so I'm not all that worried.
We arrive at my house and I'd be lying if I said I didn't smile at the sight of the childhood home I grew up in.
Everything about this place has stayed constant when everything else in my world feels like an actual emotional rollercoaster. The red bricks that make up the structure remain red, the scent of clean laundry that floats through the house has never changed, and the presence of my mother has always been somewhat obvious in a weird but comforting way.
I love this place because it makes me feel safe from everything in the outside world.
"Hey Mia," Lucas says. I spot him emerge from the top of the stairs with a gentle smile on his face. "Good to see you again."
Lucas and I have been on rocky terms during our most recent meetings, but maybe being at home together will change our dynamic slightly.
I smile at my older brother and willingly hug him. "Hey Lucas. It's good to see you too."
Lucas holds me at my shoulders and waits until Dad takes my stuff up into my bedroom when he says, "I want to talk to you later. Just me and you. Away from the house."
I sense my eyes widen and my throat seems to swell. "O—Kay?" I pray that Lucas isn't still in his I'm-gonna-tell-you-how-to-live-your-life mood again. Or if I'm praying for things then I pray that Hailey hasn't spilt the truth to him either.
